A/N: Another big thanks for all the reviews and adds. Always inspires me! Anyway, I was going to hold this back a bit as I've hit a bit of a block on Chapter 21 and wanted to be at least a couple chapters ahead, but oh well. This one... I really didn't have a 'plan' for it when I began writing it, just a general idea that I wanted to do 'something' and it kind of evolved from there. This story is really taking me on a journey.
Chapter 20- Freedom?
Normally, she was not a patient being. Normally she could think it and it would be done. It was generally held that a long-lived species or life form would inherently exhibit a patient nature; a calm nature. This had not been the case for the Borg Queen for some time. She may consider herself eternal, perfect and the one whose will was done without question, but she had a humble beginning just like all her drones. She had a mother and father and was assimilated with them both- much like Seven of Nine. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she had looked forward to great things for the drone and was disappointed when she lost her. She found herself unexpectedly excited about her latest project.
The former humans were rubbing off on her she supposed. Her first attempts at co-opting and subverting humanity had failed due to her impatience. A change of tactics was required. So, she did something she had never done: she consciously tried to emulate the humans and discover the secret to their 'nature'. She had instant access to all the knowledge of the Collective and she needed but to whisper a thought to access the knowledge of an entire species but she was learning that having the knowledge and understanding where it came from; how it was gained; would take a more personal approach.
Erin and Magnus Hansen had been brought to her. Drones. Unremarkable. No 'distinguished service'. No 'went above and beyond' in the cycles since their assimilation. All of their innovations, theories, inspirations had ended one fateful day those many cycles ago. It was a mistake to fully assimilate the truly remarkable individuals in each species. Potential was lost. This realization had been dawning on the Queen in recent months. The difficulty had always lain in determining just who was remarkable. The Hansen's: Erin, Magnus and 'Annika' were remarkable. Janeway was remarkable in her own way- but not one that would serve the Collective.
The Queen had downloaded the Collective's knowledge of Earth history to data pads and had begun reading it. Knowledge she already 'knew', she began to read. She could multitask. She could still have her main connection to the Hive mind and Collective data network. In fact, for some odd reason, simply sitting on the newly replicated furniture in her 'chambers' and reading made multitasking easier. It defied logic.
The idea was to begin by having the two drones simply work in an area that was starting to resemble the comforts their species would be subconsciously accustomed to. She was not going to release their conscious selves just yet. To achieve her goal this time she would have to take baby steps. She'd already noticed Two of Two, formerly Erin Hansen, pause and looked at the kitchen table and chairs for 6.2 seconds as she was en route to replace an energy capacitor coil that had worn out in one of the data processor units attached to her chamber. One of Two, Magnus Hansen, had been assigned to review sensor data from scout probes for relevant information while being given access to minimal higher cognitive function. It was a bit of a test to see if he might flag anything abnormal as… 'interesting'.
As it was, had any of the five drones in her chamber been capable, they might have remarked at the complete oddity that was the Borg Queen reclining on a black synthleather couch in the 'living area' of her grand chambers reading a padd. However, there were currently no drones in the room currently capable of registering the uniqueness of the situation. The Queen was hoping to change that soon. She could be patient when she wanted to be. Of course the cables extending from her spine to her data hub vinculum in the ceiling would dispel any doubt as to the truth of the illusion.
While she had been reading, despite the fact that she had already known the information, she was unexpectedly gaining a new insight into species 5618- Humans- as she read through their history. It all nearly made her smile. Nearly. Humanity had been segregated by just about every and any arbitrary characteristic they could find throughout their history. They would define their existence by creating seemingly self-induced hardships and overcoming them. Then- slowly but surely, dominant 'races' or 'creeds' would slowly convert others to their beliefs, way of life or at least accept them into their 'fold'. This would be followed by more hardships resulting in a stronger union of people once again. Next, they would be divided by 'country', which would again take foreign people into their lands to generally follow their beliefs. More hardships, more unions continued until after they had achieved first contact and the United Earth government was formed.
"It would seem Erin Hansen and Magnus Hansen, that you Humans seem to have had more in common with the Borg than your species would openly admit. How many races has your Federation 'assimilated' into its fold? Interesting... we're not so different in the end, are we?" Her words fell on deaf ears; she knew this but it still gave her some satisfaction. She was beginning to gain a platform from which to speak to her new projects.
The process of reintegrating their individuality would need to be done in steps. Initially, their thoughts would still have to be monitored by her alone before they would be granted the freedom to keep them permanently and consciously separate from the Hive. The first stage had been to have Erin and Magnus participate in creating the 'living' space in her chambers. Next she had simply had them perform tasks around her chamber to expose them to the new environment so she could observe them. Since their new purpose was essentially to become her confidants or advisers, the removal of some of their implants would be necessary. It would serve two purposes; one to give them an initial physical connection to their old selves and two, to allow them fewer distractions regarding their duties. Erin Hansen's right arm which included her cybernetic attachment tools and surgical tools would be replaced by a recreated biological arm from her original DNA template. It would be augmented with a duranium-weave lattice on her bone structure and synthetic muscle enhancers so it would match the strength and durability of her similarly-enhanced left arm. Her cranial sensor package and external friend-foe processing unit would also be removed allowing for stimulation of the hair follicles on her head. Initial scans of her biology during her initial assimilation indicated she had similar light-coloured hair to the current style of Seven of Nine, only somewhat darker. A new cybernetic eye would replace her right optical implant which should help integrate her old 'sense of self' back into her consciousness.
Something would have to be done about the body armour. The Borg Queen knew enough about Humans to know that it would be difficult for the Hansen's to believe her sincerity if they could not look at themselves and escape the normal image of 'The Borg' from time to time by removing their armour on occasion. Humans had an inherent 'need' to relax and as the Queen reclined upon this new couch, guiding the Collective and moderating the Hive while reading up on Human history, she was beginning to understand this impulse- if only a passing understanding.
Borg body armour was designed to be efficient and optimal in its performance. Ease of maintenance and manoeuvrability were not taken into account when it was created. A drone could be maintained by a maintenance drone while they were regenerating. Performing their tasks were all that was required of their armour and all other considerations were disregarded. 'Form and Function' were irrelevant to the Collective; mobility and agility were wasted attributes. This would not be acceptable for a human, however, and the Queen would need a new option for the Hansens. Perhaps if she worked on Erin first, a solution could be achieved. There were no longer any artisans in the Collective, no 'creative minds'- Erin Hansen would be the first. Her I.Q. was exceptional for any species, let alone human, much like her daughter. All data led to the conclusion that Erin was the more exceptional of the two current Hansen's residing in the Queen's chambers.
Yes... she and the Queen could work together in designing new body armour. The Queen had concluded that she couldn't simply remove the armour all together as it may now hold a figurative significance for the two humans. Besides, she would require it for security and their protection regardless. They had been encased in it for over 20 cycles and humans tended to form unconscious attachments to their environments, both personal and external. The constant contradictions of human nature were a complicated maze to navigate at the best of times and she needed to cover as many possibilities as she reasonably could. A new set of easily removable armour, serving several functions with the deference to form would be created first that could use the current starburst connections along her spine, legs and torso that connected her biological body to her current Borg armour. Then her old armour would be removed and she would have the option to use the new armour or simple clothing. The Queen wanted her to have the choice first to see what she would do.
The drone Two of Two, Primary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One... Erin Hansen... opened their dark blue eyes, one real, one synthetic, for the first time in what they thought was... they didn't know. It was like waking from a long sleep where they were an observer of a dream that lasted for years. But it wasn't a dream. The realization hit them... her...? like a tsunami as their- her human eye focused on the distinctive Borg architecture of the ceiling above the drone and the drone's... HER synthetic eye registered the electromagnetic spectrum and analyzed the atmospheric conditions of the room with the details being processed in her cortical node while resulting status information floated clearly like a computer display in her right-hand field of view.
The voices were gone. She was no longer lost in the vast ocean of the Hive, her individuality, personality and uniqueness drowned in the oppressive weight of the Borg-infested waters of the collective consciousness. It was like that first gasp of air- so satisfying and terrifying at the same time. There was confusion, concepts of 'we' and 'I' were warring with each other. Protocol and structure, which had been like an oppressive weight on her subconscious, were weakening their hold as her higher brain functions once again sparked to life, shaking off the rust of mental atrophy like an old-style combustion engine turning over in an attempt to start.
"Do not fear Erin Hansen, formerly drone Two of Two, Primary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One, human higher brain functioning is remarkably resilient, unlike many other bipedal sentient life forms."
That voice. THE voice. The Queen. She had known that voice for what seemed her whole existence. It had called to her before they were... she was... before she was part of the Collective. During her time as an assimilation drone it had never given her individual direction although as part of the Hive, she was always aware of it.
"This drone's... our... my... functionality has decreased." The words seemed odd. She was still searching for the keys to unlock... something she needed. Key functions to her performance of past tasks were missing- that much was known.
"You are a remarkable specimen Erin Hansen, your concept of individuality is strong. You are no longer a simple assimilation drone, nor are you a primary adjunct, as such your functionality has actually increased."
"Explain." It was still difficult understanding. Her language centre had not been used in some time, neither had her vocal cords. The ambient temperature and humidity made the fact that she was consciously aware of her breathing and vocal cords easier to handle as there was no dryness or distress in either function.
~Ambient temperature, 39.1 degrees, relative humidity, 92%~
The thought had birthed an instant answer. The conditions were optimal for cybernetic function. She made the effort to try and 'feel' the rest of herself, something so easily done in the past and yet it was nearly a shock to be consciously aware of her body once again. Things had changed from what she had known them to be as a drone- but things had changed from what she had known further back. It was like being in an eclipse and seeing the sun peaking out on the other side of the moon as the darkness ended. There would be light once again.
~Nanoprobe saturation 100%. Energy levels optimal. Functional status to be determined upon receipt of new functional parameters. 97% probability of successful integration of new functional protocols. Current cybernetic interface with biological systems operating at 95% efficiency- within acceptable limits. New additional biological mass, muscle fibres, circulatory and neurological processes properly stimulated, tested and functioning within acceptable parameters.~
"Twenty-one of your standard years ago, your search for me ended. At that time... an... oversight occurred with regards to your family, your function and us. Together... you and I can repair the damage."
The next few moments would be interesting. The Queen watched and 'listened' as Erin Hansen worked to find herself and an understanding- an understanding of who she is, who she was and who she used to be. Erin was paying increased attention to her physical attributes. Internally, she was flexing muscles, wiggling toes and testing her feeling and sensory input from her Borg armour.
The Queen smiled to herself. 'Here it comes.'
Escape. She was in the Borg nexus of Unimatrix Zero One. Escape would be impossible. No, difficult. No... unlikely. Still, she had to escape. She shouldn't be here. The Borg destroyed worlds, assimilated billions- she remembered- she had participated in many assimilations. Tentatively, she reached out mentally and searched for the Hive mind and connected to it. She immediately disconnected. She connected once more and again, disconnected just as quickly. She connected to the Collective data network. Each drone, ship, task, and sensory data were all available.
'I... I have access to the data network and the Hive, so I am not truly free but my mind seems my own and my cortical node still has all the relevant data collected by the Borg. Why is she just standing there? What could she want? She looks... pleasantly... pleased? I need to get out of here, I need to... escape. Freedom.'
Another thought brought more answers. ~Current strength 80% of a Tactical drone. No internal or external weaponry. Shielding available at full power for 300 minutes before requiring regeneration. Medical restraints insufficient to resist 20% exertion of tensional force.~
'Good,' she thought. There were only three other Borg in the room which looked like the Borg equivalent of a medical lab. ~Medical reconstruction lab 17, newly constructed within the past 15 standard days. Schematic layout of interior shows optimal design for reintegration of biological components into the Borg chaises.~ It was going to take some getting used to being consciously able to call up just about any data she wanted. Sifting through the extraneous data, she found the layout for the complex she was in and internally plotted the fastest route to a shuttle bay. There were two drones along with the Queen in the room. Each drone was stationed by one of the two exits.
The Queen, who had been slightly to the left and behind Erin moved to stand closer to Erin's left. Looking over the woman now she could see the resemblance to Seven. She was tall, almost as tall as Seven was. Her eyes shared the blue colour of her daughter, but were a few shades darker and in the pale green light of the room, they seemed almost purple. Her nose was not quite as pointed as Seven's and her lips were not quite as full, but would still be considered attractive to the average human and perhaps several other species. Physically, her body had been maintained exceptionally well- as all drones were- and she could be considered still well in her physical 'prime'. She had long legs and her chest was only slightly smaller than that of her daughter. Why she would note that, the Queen wasn't sure but she had committed to this path of enlightenment and would see it through. With the removal of several cranial implants, the replacement of her right eye and the stimulation of her dark blonde hair- from the neck up, she looked very much like a young human woman in her early 30's.
The Queen knew her exit plan and wanted to give the woman the opportunity she seemed to instinctively want. A small adjustment to Erin's cortical node had allowed the Queen to continue to monitor her thoughts without being able to affect them. She wasn't ready to disconnect the link or tell the woman about it just yet, she wanted to see how this would play out. She would be careful about talking about their assimilation or her daughter- until the time was right.
"Take your time Erin Hansen, find your way back to yourself; who you were before joining us. You were an explorer, brave, bold and innovative. Believe it or not, you are an inspiration to me. I would like us to spend some time together, would that be acceptable?" Her voice was soft and kind. Her words carefully chosen. She wanted the pretense before the next talk to be one of compassion and understanding. Making demands and generally being 'herself' would not foster a good base for coming to an understanding after the failed escape attempt. She would show understanding, not anger; compassion, not apathy.
Humans were complicated.
"I- why?" Deep blue, almost purple eyes gazed questioningly into her own dark green/yellow eyes as the Queen leaned in slightly. The question actually caught her off guard. Her thoughts had not indicated that she was even wondering-
The punch that followed was even more unexpected.
The Queen was impressed. Even knowing that she was planning to escape; even knowing her thoughts, Erin Hansen had managed to surprise her. The question was a distraction and the punch a follow up. It was almost instinctual. She didn't have to plan it.
Humans were impressive.
As she had pondered the question of "why?" and the brief distraction it caused, she became fully alert of her entire surroundings including the exact composition of the atmosphere in the room and every random bit of matter scattered about the room the instant the metal restraint holding Erin Hansen's right arm snapped. She watched as the tall woman leaned to her left with incredible speed driving her fist towards the Queen's chest, her eyes changing from the questioning look from a moment before to that of determination. Even being 'caught off guard', the Queen still would have had time to move or catch the fist. An instant analysis of the impending strike determined that the resulting force produced that would send her back into the far wall was insufficient to cause significant damage to her body. So she did her best to 'act' surprised and take the punch.
The fist connected with her chest and she sailed back three metres through the air where her back connected with the wall, her legs following shortly after as her knees snapped into her chest before she slumped to the floor. She turned her head to the side at the last moment before impact as the armour covering her skull would properly absorb the impact and prevent the possibility of damage to the data nodes protruding from the top and back of her skull. Briefly, she queried the Collective and found the design of her cranial implant was the most efficient currently available to her. This was another reason she was doing this.
Both of the other drones reacted slowly, not until after the Queen hit the wall, moving from their positions at the door towards the table at the centre of the room. Erin had torn the metal restraint from her left wrist and had both feet freed as the drones approached either side of her.
The Queen observed in silence as Erin snapped to a sitting position and rolled forward off the table evading the two drones as the Queen herself settled onto the floor at the base of the wall. 'This is our failure. Both drones evacuate the exits because the probability of capture is higher if both engage her at once.' Her directive to the Collective was simple.
*Apprehend drone Two of Two, Primary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One- Erin Hansen- unharmed.*
{Instruction received. Calculating probable efficient escape routes. Done. Containment fields erected, apprehension of escaped Drone Two of Two, Primary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One will be complete in 87 seconds.}
'She wants me unharmed. She wants something. I need to get out. Can't trust her. Can't trust my thoughts, need to act on instinct...' Erin Hansen ran out the doorway to her right once she was free of the table. Her armour made running awkward but she didn't have time to think about it. Her hurriedly modified shielding would only allow her to pass through the erected containment fields for a short period of time. She turned at the next corridor and took off running down a corridor towards a junction to take her to a transport access node.
The Queen stopped the two drones who turned from the table and began to follow the fully-armoured woman who had just ran out the door. Their failure would not be unanswered. With a thought they were beamed to a nearby cube to be reassigned as maintenance drones. It was not as if it was their 'fault', but she was angry with them regardless. It was somewhat irrational.
Humans were irrational.
Standing up to her full height, she actually smiled a small smile. Erin Hansen had successfully reached a transport node and she was hacking into its transporter control interface using her assimilation tubules. So much for the Collective's estimate. She'd allowed Erin's shielding changes so as not to tip her hand and she would continue to do so. The Collective would behave as always; it would get no help from her. There was no threat at the moment and each innovation the human produced was simply more evidence that the Queen had made the right decision. Monitoring her new project she smiled again before disappearing into green wisps of energy and light.
It was all there. Borg protocols, technological capabilities, response times- she knew it all. She needed to adapt. She could adapt. Simple changes to some Borg encryption codes allowed her to gain control of the small transport hub for a fraction of a second. It was all she would need. A quick command was sent and she was beamed onto a small scout vessel. The first drone she encountered, she didn't think and just jabbed her tubules into his skull and sent a very specific command directly into his cortical node. He was to enhance the shielding of the vessel to the best of his ability. It was very likely that he would not be able to perform any other function again. He would have to be deactivated as the changes she made were very likely irreversible as her nanoprobes had burrowed directly to his upper cerebellum and took direct control. She couldn't dwell on the decision. There were eight more drones on the vessel who had all been regenerating. She quickly accessed the regeneration controls of their alcoves and disabled the interlink transceivers and set their regeneration cycles for 24 hours. That would give her the time to figure out what to do with them as she certainly didn't have time at the moment. It was taking all of her will and control to simply act instead of think.
There was no conventional 'bridge' on the scout vessel- on any Borg vessel. There was a central control chamber in the centre of the ship though and that's where she needed to be. It was a small ship and after she had dealt with the regenerating drones- that's where she went. A quick check told her that the Collective had not yet pinpointed the destination of her masked transport but that wouldn't last. She'd created 39 transport sensor ghosts when she initiated her transport. It wasn't a lot, but it was the best she could do in the 0.47 seconds she had to work with. Quickly she gained control of the vessel and initiated the shielding at the last moment after starting the engines. The single drone in the rear compartment began working on enhancing the shields. She had an idea but would need to clear the complex to put it into action.
Charging weapons, she directed the scout vessel towards one of the smaller hatch doors to the interior hangar and fired a medium-yield torpedo blasting a whole large enough to send the ship through. Multitasking ship functions and scouring the Borg data network she discovered a tactical move called "The Picard Manoeuvre". A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips as she engaged the warp engines in the hangar so as not to risk a tractor beam lock once she cleared the doors in the micro-jump. It was dangerous but she had no choice.
Once clear of the complex, she turned the vessel the second it dropped out of warp and re-engaged the warp drive on her new heading. Three spheres and one cube were already moving to intercept. There was no time to think about them because she was already charging the trans-warp coil once she got to warp. As soon as the trans-warp coil was charged, she engaged the drive and a trans-warp corridor formed heading... the Alpha Quadrant. Pushing the engines as hard as she could she calculated that she had six minutes before the cube closest to her got within tractor range. Six minutes was now a lifetime. In a previous life, only having six minutes would have been stressful but now... now she was more capable. The six minutes was all she would need. She sent commands to modify a phasic torpedo in preparation. Timing would be key. This move would blow her trans-warp coil but she could worry about that later. She sent a parameter adjustment to the other active drone on the vessel hoping that it would be capable of integrating the adjustment into its operating protocols. The adjustments sent were sensor stealthing enhancements- a temporary fix, but one that should again buy her some time.
The cube had entered her trans-warp corridor and was closing the distance fast. The drone had accepted the changes she sent and was working on them but it wouldn't be enough at the moment. She watched the counter in her right-hand field of view until she could wait no longer. She launched the torpedo and performed an emergency vector change and overrode the safety settings on the trans-warp coil in order to shut it down and re-engage the warp drive.
The scout vessel lurched, power link nodes overloaded and the structural integrity weakened by 73% during the manoeuvre but she had escaped the trans-warp corridor as it collapsed on her pursuers. Scattered several light-years behind her position, debris from the destroyed Borg vessels floated into real space. She'd done it. The trans-warp coil was fried but the warp engines were operational although the vessel was now operating at 38% effectiveness.
'I'll have to wake up the other drones and get them to work once I figure out what I'm going to do.'
She let out a breath and took a minute to wipe the wild hair out of her face.
Suddenly, each hair on the back of her neck stood up.
"You've done so well Erin Hansen, I can see now where your daughter gets her spirit and intelligence."
Erin Hansen turned slowly only to see the Borg Queen herself standing behind her smiling in triumph.
End Chapter 20
A/N: The reference I used for Erin Hansen is the actress that played her in Dark Territory, Laura Stepp. There is a pic in her profile on IMDB that has her in jeans and a red sarong-type top that I used to visualize her.